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Where to Invest Money for College

A lot depends on whether Junior is 6 or 16.

Where should you invest college money? Stocks? Bonds? Well, the longer the time period until you'll need the money, the more risk you can take. Here's a typical set of guidelines that some financial planners might offer you:

Birth to School Age: 100% growth stocks. You have more time, you can take more risk.

Age 6 to 13: You might want to think about making a few more "prudent" selections. 70% stocks, 30% bonds.

Age 14-18: You want things to continue to grow, but you also want to protect yourself from market volatility. Consider 30% bonds, 20% stocks, and 50% money market funds.

College Age: You want to be able to access the money easily and not have it drop in value. Consider putting the vast majority of it into a safe, interest-bearing account like a money market fund. For funds earmarked to be spent a year or two down the road, certificates of deposit are a good idea.

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